Chapter 186 : Opening The Rinnegan
Riku had revealed the existence of the Rinnegan to Tsunade alone—he hadn’t told anyone else.
At this point, Riku was undeniably the strongest shinobi in the world since the time of the Sage of Six Paths and Ōtsutsuki Kaguya.
And that was despite the fact that he had yet to fully master the Rinnegan or Yin-Yang Release.
If Riku were to completely master both, his power could very well surpass that of the Sage himself.
It just wouldn’t happen overnight.
And truthfully, Riku didn’t feel the need to rush. At least for now, there was no one in the shinobi world who could truly challenge him.
Unlike Nagato—whose Rinnegan didn’t even belong to him and who could never wield its full potential—Riku had tapped into the eye’s genuine might.
The true power of the Six Paths could only be reached by bringing together all nine Tailed Beasts to create the Ten Tails. But Riku was not like the Ōtsutsuki—he had no need for the Ten Tails to make up for any chakra deficiency.
He had no reason to become a Ten Tails Jinchūriki.
His own chakra reserves were already comparable to those of the Ten Tails.
In truth, he had long since surpassed the limitations of most ordinary shinobi.
But Riku never used that power to conquer the world, nor did he ever harbor such a desire.
All he wanted was to understand his own limits—if he even had any. Could he continue to grow stronger endlessly?
He knew his body was capable of evolving without restriction. But until he was completely certain, Riku would not jump to conclusions.
After quietly absorbing the power of the Rinnegan, Riku turned to glance at Tsunade. Although he had been deep in concentration, he’d felt it the moment his power burst had launched her several hundred meters away.
He felt a pang of guilt.
Seeing that no one was around, Riku walked over and pulled Tsunade into a quiet embrace.
And so, Konoha entered a period of peace that lasted two full years.
Two years later, Riku turned sixteen.
In a room within the Senju Clan compound, Riku stood by the window in Tsunade’s quarters. He opened it slowly, letting the golden morning light flood into the room.
Taking a deep breath, he smiled. "Beautiful weather today."
There was a soft rustling sound behind him.
A moment later, Tsunade joined him at the window.
He was now over 1.8 meters tall, lean and well-built. The boyishness had faded from his face, replaced by calm maturity.
Tsunade smiled faintly. "I really don’t want to be Hokage anymore. I’d rather you become the Sixth Hokage, and I could just serve as your shadow guard."
It had finally happened—last night, Riku and Tsunade had crossed the final threshold of intimacy.
This morning, her skin was glowing, her complexion soft and rosy.
Using the Rinnegan, Riku had refined a chakra pill that would preserve Tsunade’s youthful body—keeping her in her twenties regardless of how much chakra she used.
This condition would last until her life energy itself was exhausted.
In other words, as long as she lived, Tsunade would retain her youthful appearance.
She no longer needed to rely on the Strength of a Hundred Seal to maintain her youth.
And what she’d just said... was something that came from deep within her heart.
Still, Riku had no intention of becoming Hokage. Though he spent his days with Tsunade and had learned a great deal about how to handle the responsibilities of the role, he had never once entertained the idea of taking the hat for himself.
So he turned to her and smiled. "That’s your job. I never wanted to be Hokage. I’m perfectly happy being your quiet shadow guard."
Because of what they now shared, Tsunade had become even gentler toward Riku.
Though she had always been kind to him, there was a new softness in her demeanor—something unmistakably feminine that hadn’t been there before.
She no longer carried herself with the exaggerated boldness she once used to attend things like Hinata’s coming-of-age parties just to show off her figure.
Tsunade tilted her head upward. Riku was now a full head taller than her—she only came up to his chin.
The height difference made her look especially small and delicate beside him.
If only she were actually a bit cuter in personality, it would’ve been perfect.
"But I still want you to be the Sixth Hokage," she said. "You have the strength and the capability."
Riku sighed. "Honestly, I think Kakashi-sensei is more suited to it. His strength has improved a lot recently, and he’s starting to grasp the basics of Kage-level combat. His control over the Mangekyō Sharingan has also gotten more refined. He’s barely able to use its abilities now."
"He has a great reputation in the shinobi world and is well-respected among the Jōnin. You should be grooming him to be the Sixth Hokage."
Kakashi’s skills were indeed impressive. Though his raw strength still lagged behind some of the top-tier shinobi, by the time he officially took on the Hokage role a few years later, he’d handled the position with great poise and leadership.
Tsunade let out a long sigh. "You always dodge this conversation."
She was genuinely disappointed. She had hoped Riku would follow her as the next Hokage—Fifth and Sixth, one after the other. It would’ve been perfect.
Riku glanced over and smiled. "Alright, it’s time for you to get to work."
At his words, Tsunade’s enthusiasm visibly dropped.
She looked tired—she always did when these responsibilities weighed heavily on her. She wished Riku could take them off her shoulders.
...Ask for flowers...
Even though Riku had officially become Tsunade’s bodyguard, he still spent a good portion of his days reading.
Occasionally, he would take on an S-rank or A-rank mission to earn a little money on the side.
Tsunade had even quit gambling because of him.
That said, she still sometimes pulled out cards or dice as a means of decision-making when faced with tough choices.
But as for her drinking habit—she never gave that up.
Riku didn’t mind her drinking.
In this world, alcohol didn’t pose any real threat to a ninja’s body.
Unless Tsunade deliberately got herself blackout drunk, she was always in full control of her faculties.
So Riku wasn’t concerned about her hurting herself while drunk.
The village still didn’t know about their relationship. Riku had said he would reveal it when he turned eighteen, and Tsunade hadn’t objected.
Now that they’d taken that final step together, there was no need to worry about what others thought.
The two left the Senju compound together, walking and laughing as they made their way through the village.
Despite their casual banter, both Riku and Tsunade carried themselves with seriousness and purpose.
Along the way, villagers paused to admire the pair.
Tsunade was beautiful and curvaceous, and Riku was tall, composed, and strikingly handsome—he didn’t look like a sixteen-year-old at all, but someone mature beyond his years.
He exuded calm and confidence in everything he did, which made the two of them a pleasure to watch.
Many villagers thought, If only they were the same age... they’d be the perfect couple.
But because of the obvious age gap—and the fact that Riku was Tsunade’s official guard—no one suspected anything unusual.
Still, the villagers couldn’t help but notice that Tsunade seemed... different today. Softer. More at ease.
The two arrived at the Hokage Building, still chatting and laughing.
Inside the Hokage’s office, Shizune had already been waiting for what felt like half the day.
When she saw Tsunade and Riku walk in, she exhaled in relief.
"Lady Tsunade, you’re finally here! If you’d taken any longer, the two advisors would’ve chewed me out for good!"
Whenever Tsunade was in one of her moods, it was always Shizune who took the brunt of it.
The two advisors didn’t dare push Tsunade too hard—unlike the Third Hokage, Tsunade wasn’t afraid to lash out.
And the authority she wielded was far greater than what Hiruzen had in his later years.
Even ROOT had been disbanded under her leadership, and Danzō’s influence had all but vanished.
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